Pyrate-Style Wedding

It all started over a cup of coffee that I was enjoying downtown Hamburg with make-up artist Femke Schuh. We were joking around a bit and came to the conclusion that there are far too few weddings with a great theme. Our heads were constantly filled with images like in the movies that we would love to do someday. That’s how we came up with the idea of a pirate wedding, and we started to put together the pieces for the photo shoot. Finding a location was easy – the Pyrates Bar at Hamburg’s Fischmarkt. The bar is owned by the actor Luca Maric, who I had photographed a few times before. Luca pretty much looks like a pirate anyway, so quickly knew who our male protagonist would be. Our first choice for our female leading lady was Yasmina Filali. Her face, her hair… Wow, she was born to be a pirate bride. One phone call later, that was settled.

Despite all that, it was a long time in the making. It’s hard to find a date that works for that many people. We had to get a dress and other props. We would also need additional lighting. For that part, Dedo Weigert Film was nice enough to help us out. Eventually everything was all lined up. Besides our subjects, we had a great team of extras in the roles of assistant, video crew and catering thanks to Lexa, Henning and my wife Tanja, who helped us out all day. I’ve rarely sweated so much. There was a lot hanging on this photo shoot, and expectations were high. I was really tense. As soon as the first few pictures showed up on the iPad, though, that transformed into a really good mood.

Here are the results, which are meant to be an inspiration above all. Femke and I would love it if there were more and more couples looking to do a themed wedding photo shoot. How cool would it be to have wedding pictures like these hanging on your wall? We’re in.